This invention relates to swage apparatus for swaging a clamp ring against seal material to secure the seal material to a substrate.
Current apparatus for compressing seal material against an underlying substrate for producing a leak proof path therebetween, includes an apparatus having a plurality of pie-shaped swage segments that are operated by hydraulic or mechanical force to move the segments from a radially outwardly released position to a radially inwardly located force application position in which arcuate segments on each of the swage elements are mechanically forced against the outer circumference of a clamp ring for swaging the clamp ring into a compressed relationship with the seal material for securing it to a substrate such as a shaft.
The problem with such prior art arrangements is that a minimum clearance is provided between the opposed edges of the segments to insure that the hydraulic or mechanical force for swaging acts to compress the clamp ring rather than compressing the swage dies together. Such clearance can result in a plurality of circumferentially located folds or flashes in the resilient material clamped against the substrate.
The problem with such flash material is that it restricts the swage dies from fully closing to a desired dimension or force that will cause the clamp ring to be plastically deformed so as to reduce its inside diameter to compress the seal material between the clamp ring and the substrate. Such under swaging of a clamp ring can cause a fold up section of clamp and seal material to create a leakage path at the clamp ring.
The present invention solves the problem of such material clamp or seal material fold up by configuring the swage dies with a side edge configuration that will assure that the application of compression forces against each of the swage dies will be applied uniformly around the full circumference of a clamp ring so that it will be frilly plastically deformed in all sections of its inner diameter so as to prevent the problem of clamp ring fold-up or under compression of the seat material at folds between the clamp ring and the underlying substrate.
A feature of the invention is to provide apparatus for swaging clamps to secure seal material to an underlying substrate by uniform deformation of a ring clamp wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of swage dies arranged circumferentially of a clamp ring and having side surfaces thereon and the invention characterized by each of the plurality of swage dies having variable width side surfaces thereon that are overlapped for producing a uniform circumferential swaging force on the clamp ring during compression thereof against a seal material.
A further feature of the present invention is to provide such apparatus wherein the swage dies are even numbered.
A further feature is to provide such swage dies having truncated tapered face portions including side edge surfaces increasing in width toward the radially inner end of each of the swage dies; and wherein adjacent ones of the swage dies are alternately arranged to cause the overlapped surfaces to lie in substantially the same plane while providing an unrestricted radially inwardly and outwardly directed movement of each of the swage dies without application of compressive forces therebetween.
A further feature of the present invention is to provide apparatus having such swage dies wherein the swage dies have opposite faces thereon and wherein each of the opposite faces have one of the variable width side surfaces thereon and wherein the swage dies are even numbered.
A still further feature of the invention is to provide such apparatus wherein each of the dies have opposite faces thereon and each of the opposite faces have one of the variable width side surfaces thereon and swage dies are an odd number.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such apparatus wherein each of the swage dies are pie-shaped and have overlapping side surfaces formed either partly along or fully along the full radial edge of each of the swage dies; and wherein the side surfaces of adjacent swage dies are overlapped to provide for uniform application of compression forces on the clamp ring without applying compressive forces between adjacent ones of the overlapped surfaces of each of the swage dies.
A still further feature of the present invention is to provide apparatus of the type set forth in the proceeding type wherein each of the overlapped side surfaces form a lap joint.
Still another feature is to provide such apparatus wherein the overlapped surfaces are substantially V-shaped.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide such apparatus wherein the overlapped surfaces are formed as a tongue-in-groove joint.